Welcome
to the Japan Outreach Initiative Web Site!
Japan ranks as the 4th largest trading partner of the United States, behind
Canada, China, and Mexico. Despite this fact, many of Americans have little
knowledge and awareness of Japan, its culture and significance and contributions
to the United States and the rest of the world.

To address this issue, The
Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership
(CGP) and The
Laurasian Institution (TLI)
designed the Japan Outreach Initiative (JOI). This program offers a grassroots
opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of Japan by sending Japanese
individuals to U.S. sites as volunteer coordinators of community outreach
activities about Japan.

JOI's purpose is two-fold:

1.
Promote interest in and study of Japan through increasing grassroots exchange
between the U.S. and Japan. This is achieved by facilitating dialogue
about current Japan-U.S. issues and giving Japanese language and culture
presentations in communities where staffing to promote a better understanding
of Japan is limited. It is hoped that these volunteer coordinators will
enhance local communities' understanding of Japan by expanding outreach
programming beyond the current capabilities of the hosting organizations;
and

2. Cultivate a new group of individuals in both Japan and the United States
who will take leading roles in grassroots exchange.

JOI is
a program that is jointly administered by CGP and TLI. Each will consult
with the other in the design and implementation of the JOI program. CGP
and TLI are involved in the recruiting and selection process for both coordinators
and sites as well as the ongoing evaluation and quality improvements for
the program. TLI assumes the operation and management of the program in
the United States such as coordinating recruitment of participants, designing
and implementing training in Japan and in the U.S.; site visits; and troubleshooting
problems with the participants.